Viking conference to be held in July

Shetland Amenity Trust is to hold a conference which will explore Shetland’s place in the Viking world.

The event, from Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th July, will take place in the Shetland Museum and present the findings of the Viking Unst Project. Centered on the last three years’ excavations and surveys on the Viking longhouses at Hamar, Belmont and Underhoull, the conference will also place Shetland in its wider Viking context.

There will be presentations from Viking specialists well known to Shetland, including Julie Bond, Anne-Christine Larsen and Barbara Crawford, as well as period scholars from around the Viking world. The keynote speaker will be Olé Crumlin Pederson, from Copenhagen, who will talk about Viking boats and how the Vikings first came to Shetland.

On Saturday 18th July delegates will spend the day in Unst, where they will see the excavations at the three longhouses and stop at the replica of the Gokstad ship, the Skidbladner.

In keeping with the theme of the conference, there will be a Viking market throughout the weekend in Unst, where local and visiting Viking crafts people (including Timeslip, who worked in Shetland schools earlier this year) will recreate the feel of a Viking trading post. There are also a few surprises planned for the trip too.

The conference dinner will take the from of a Viking feast, with entertainment provided by the popular Living History duo Keith Prosser and Tony Sherratt.

Booking forms for the conference are available from the Shetland Museum, Shetland Amenity Trust offices or online through the Viking Unst Project website at www.vikingshetland.com.

Booking forms must be received by Friday 26th June and places are limited, so early booking is essential.